


The Truth of Jedi Recruitment

by SilverTonguedSlytherin1



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Jedi Code (Star Wars), Jedi Culture & Tradition (Star Wars), Jedi Training (Star Wars), Technically Alternate Universe, The Jedi Path
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29094717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverTonguedSlytherin1/pseuds/SilverTonguedSlytherin1
Summary: The Jedi are kidnappers.The Jedi have never taken anyone without consent.The Jedi Path settles the argument.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 65





	The Truth of Jedi Recruitment

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on "The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force" by Daniel Wallace. I copied the first section (the bulk, if I'm being honest) verbatim, but the bottom portion is my own. I make no claims of ownership; I'm just playing around with literary analysis in fic form. 
> 
> Trigger warnings for mentions of kidnapping and brainwashing.

**ENLISTING NEW MEMBERS**   
**BY MORRIT CH'GALLY, JEDI RECRUITER**

  
The Jedi, as you well know, forbid romantic attachment. We do not marry, nor do we breed powerful lineages from our greatest members. How then do we survive from generation to generation, or rebuild our numbers after the decimation of war?

  
The Force supplies the answer. Any being, regardless of homeworld, species, wealth, or the social status of his or her family, can be born with the ability to touch the Force. These beings have a gift, and if we don't teach them how to use it, the Jedi Order is responsible for squandering that worth. 

  
In fact, those who don't learn how to harness their talents at a young age may come to view the Force as a curse. On some planets, those who are Force sensitive may be may be persecuted as demonic magicians, or may become so enamored with their otherwordly powers that they become exactly the monsters their neighbors fear. Once they have reached such a state it is difficult to bring them into the light of Jedi teachings, which in past decades has made them easy marks for the Sith.

  
_In the margins, next to this paragraph, was written, "Master Unskette and I tried to recruit a child on Orto, but the parents threw stones at us. Referred the case to the Council. - Thame"_

  
The responsible use of power takes a lifetime to perfect, and therefore the Jedi Order only rarely accepts members who are older than a few years. Most of you came to the Order as infants.

  
Locating Force-strong newborns is a straightforward process, at least within the Republic's borders. Mandatory blood tests performed at birth record the concentration of midi-chlorians in an infant's cells, and positive results are forwarded to the Jedi Temple for follow-up. Because the midi-chlorian analysis is not always definitive - particularly among older children or beings with unusual physiologies - special tools or puzzles may be employed instead. These include the testing screen, a tool that records a subject's ability to read minds or view images remotely, and the mental maze, a test that demonstrates whether a subject can use rudimentary telekinesis. 

  
**MISPERCEPTIONS OF THE JEDI**

  
The job of a Jedi Recruiter can be thankless. While many families are proud to have their offspring chosen by the Force, the reality of taking a child away from his or her parents is messy and unpleasant. We Jedi firmly believe that Force-strong beings have a right to receive the best training available, and our way requires shunning emotional commitment, especially towards one's birth family. Yet something that seems self-evident to us has been characterized as monstrous on the HoloNet. I admit that while we recruiters are vital to the continuation of the Order, we don't do much to burnish the Order's reputation. 

  
The following are perennial slurs leveled against the Order. As a Jedi Knight you must do your part to counter these lies, not by arguing but by setting an example of selflessness and service. 

  
_The Jedi are sorcerers._ Popular on primitive worlds and among adherents of certain religious sects, this belief betrays a misunderstanding of the Force's presence throughout the universe. The Force is a real, demonstrable phenomenon, not a twist of forbidden "magic." Through our connection to the Force, the Jedi are agents of life itself.

  
_The Jedi are kidnappers._ An all too familiar accusation for Jedi Recruiters, this charge springs from the pain of emotional attachment. It is also technically false. Within the Republic, the Jedi Order has the legal authority to take custody of Force-sensitives, and some Masters have argued that the Force's presence in a child indicates the child's consent to join the Order even before he or she is able to speak. 

  
_The Jedi are brainwashers._ This belief is in part due to the secrecy surrounding Jedi training and in part due to a widespread misunderstanding of the so-called Jedi mind trick. Some claim that the Order is responsible for mass hypnosis and mind-control. Patently untrue.

  
_The Jedi are elitists._ It is fashionable to equate the presence of midi-chlorians with with genetic superiority, but the Force chose to manifest itself through the symbiosis in our cells. The Force can call anyone, and is thus the very definition of egalitarian.

  
~*~

  
Obi-Wan finds himself throwing up before he even finishes reading the section. Dear Force. Force. 

The Jedi are kidnappers. Oh, Force. They are.

The blood tests for midi-chlorians are required. And the Jedi have the authority to take Force-sensitive children. 

Force. Force.

There wasn't any way for citizens of the Republic to get around it. 

How many- how many children has the Order stolen? Because it can't be none. There wouldn't be Masters arguing about the Force's presence indicating consent if all families were willing.

And what about the note? If a family threw rocks at a Jedi wanting to recruit a child, that's a pretty clear denial. That should be the end of it. Why "refer the case to the Council?"

His family. Force, what if Obi-Wan was loved? What if his parents didn't want to give him up? Did they rip him from his mother's arms? Does his father have a prosthetic hand from where he tried to fight them? Do they miss him, mourn him? 

Obi-Wan heaves again, not bothering to pretend the salt water on his face is anything but tears.

**Author's Note:**

> To reiterate, this fic is based on "The Jedi Path." I'm pretty sure it's classified as Legends, but it's still for sale on Barnes and Noble (and maybe Target).
> 
> I was shocked when I read this chapter! Horrified! Every claim that the Jedi are kidnappers? Yeah. It's true. And these people are supposed to be the heroes? What the crap?
> 
> I'm sure I left off some tags here, so if anybody thinks of any I missed, please let me know.


End file.
